Sir Dominic Asquith, the British High Commissioner to India has stated that presently there is a controversy regarding the failure of Britain in including students from India in the liberal visa norms. No Indian government official has approached the British High Commission to India on this issue. The present terms on offer to Indian students, are not different from the past. In 2017, there was 30 percent increase in students arriving in the UK.

Non recognition of British degrees

Highlighting there is silence in India, regarding the non recognition of British post-graduate degrees, by Indian universities, but no one is talking about the 14,000 students who complete a Master’s degree in the UK and return. Not recognizing that qualification in India is odd.

Britain is serious in dealing with the frauds

On the question regarding individuals like Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Mallya, whom the Indian agencies is seeking, but they find refuge in the UK, he said that these frauds happened in India. Britain is not responsible for them. The country is dealing with the after-effects of such frauds, and is serious in dealing with these after-effects. Some people think that these individuals committed these frauds in the UK, but this is not the truth, he added. Britain is careful about this issue. There is a judicial system which appears protracted to Indians, but Indians also have a legal system which too is protracted. Meticulous adherence to the process of judiciary is an integral part of democracy, he said.

The seriousness in handling and addressing both the cases and charges speaks for itself. The Crown Prosecution Service, managing the Mallya case has received accolades from the Indian authorities about its approach and direction. The courts view it thoroughly and banks take the orders from the judges. There is no fault in either handling the case or in the judicial process.

Trade and investment relationship

He reiterated that the trade/investment relationship between the two nations is strong. Britain is the largest G20 investor in India, and there is a good investment by British companies. This is nearly twice in comparison to French and German companies. In the same way, Indian companies invest greatly in the Kingdom than the entire EU collectively. In 2017, there was 15 percent increase in service and goods trade.

He went on to say that there is a shift of gravity from the west towards the east. Both the nations try to adapt to the changing world and are working to manage this adaptation.